LAURION Advances Environmental and Permitting Work at Ishkōday Project

LAURION Mineral Exploration Inc. (TSX-V: LME | OTC: LMEFF | FSE: 5YD) has provided an update on environmental, technical, and regulatory work at its 100%-owned Ishkōday Gold and Polymetallic Project in Northwestern Ontario. The company is advancing two initiatives at the historical Sturgeon River Mine: recovery and remediation of a surface waste rock stockpile, and a proposed Advanced Exploration Project to dewater and rehabilitate the mine shaft and underground workings.

The surface stockpile, a legacy of historic mining, contains mineralized material. LAURION has applied for a Recovery of Minerals Permit under Ontario's Mining Act, including a Recovery and Remediation Plan. The proposed work involves removing the material for off-site processing and then remediating the stockpile area. This approach is expected to avoid new infrastructure or underground development, as the material already exists on surface. The company believes this represents a value-additive and environmentally sound opportunity.

Separately, LAURION is planning to rehabilitate the historical Sturgeon River Mine shaft to evaluate in-situ resource potential. The shaft extends approximately 642 metres below surface and has 15 underground levels. It has been flooded since operations ceased in 1942, containing an estimated 114,000 cubic metres of static water. The Advanced Exploration Project would involve removing the shaft cap, rehabilitating the collar, and installing a temporary headframe and hoisting plant to allow controlled dewatering and safe access. Once underground access is established, LAURION intends to conduct exploration drilling and sampling. No commercial production is proposed at this stage.

To support dewatering, LAURION is preparing a Permit to Take Water application for submission to the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks in Q4 2026. A detailed hydrogeological impact assessment will be completed to assess effects on groundwater and surface water. In parallel, the company is preparing an Advanced Exploration Closure Plan and additional environmental approvals, with submissions targeted for early 2027.

Over the past five years, LAURION has completed comprehensive environmental baseline studies, including terrestrial ecology, species at risk, bat surveys, aquatic and benthic studies, groundwater and surface water monitoring, shaft water and hydrogeological studies, and a Stage 1 Archaeological Assessment. These studies provide a foundation for regulatory review and will inform environmental management and monitoring measures.

LAURION has engaged with Indigenous communities through an Indigenous Joint Steering Committee and project-specific consultation with Animbiigoo Zaagi'igan Anishinaabek First Nation, Bingwi Neyaashi Anishinaabek First Nation, and Biinjitiwaabik Zaaging Anishinaabek First Nation. Public notice and meetings will be part of the Closure Plan process.

"Five years of rigorous, independent environmental baseline work is not a small undertaking," said Cynthia Le Sueur-Aquin, President and CEO. "Recovering potentially economic residual mineralization within the stockpile, and doing so responsibly, is exactly the kind of value-additive, environmentally sound project our shareholders should expect." She added that the dewatering and rehabilitation of the shaft is equally important, as historical records indicate gold-bearing structures on multiple levels that were not fully explored. "This phase of work is exploratory in nature, and no ore will be mined, processed or sold as part of the proposed dewatering program."

Linda Byron, Director at Blue Heron Environmental, commented, "Blue Heron has been pleased to support LAURION with the environmental baseline studies and permitting work required to advance the Ishkōday Project."

The technical contents of the press release have been reviewed and approved by Dr. Trevor Boyd, Ph.D., P.Geo., a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101. For more information, visit LAURION's website.